World's Tallest Mennonite

Newton, Kansas

Carved from Kansas limestone, 11 feet tall on a six-foot base, skinny like the Skowhegan Indian, this statue was probably one of the last WPA projects. It was completed just before Pearl Harbor in 1941, and its stripped-down social realism style reportedly drew gasps of displeasure when it was unveiled.

Perhaps because raising a monument to pacifist Mennonites was politically incorrect during the World War II years, this "Mennonite Settler" statue instead emphasizes the crop that they brought with them. It stands inside a tiled circle that reads, "Commemorating Entry into Kansas from Russia of Turkey Red Hard Winter Wheat by Mennonites."

The light-colored limestone was a poor choice; it easily stains black with mildew and has to be cleaned every few years, most recently in 2022.